Heel pain is usually mild and would gradually disappear on its own. But there are cases when the pain becomes severe and could even be responsible for disabilities. The cases in which the pain persists for a long time are termed as chronic. These heel pains are very common among foot problems, and usually, the sufferer feels pain under the heel or just behind the heel.
Do not ignore the symptoms
The cause of heel pain does not start in a day or from a single injury. It may be caused by wearing flat footwear which may stretch the plantar fascia to a great extent, causing the area to swell up. The symptoms get worsened with inactivity. You would get more pain in the morning which would improve through different activities during the day. You would need to get medical attention only if the heel pain gets serious, with symptoms like inability in walking or in bending the foot downwards or trying to stand on your toes.
Remedies and prevention of heel pain
If the heel problem persists, you should seek the right treatment for heel pain.
- Home care – If the cases are not too severe, you can try some of the home care steps.
- Rest – Running or standing for very long periods must be avoided, the same way as walking on hard surfaces. In short, any activity that stresses the heel should be avoided.
- Ice – Ice should be applied on the affected area for at least 10-15 minutes. Avoid using bare ice on the skin.
- Footwear – Footwear should be such that they provide support and comfort. This holds true, especially for athletes.
- Foot supports – Symptoms can be relieved through the use of heel cups and wedges. Tortoise and heel grip pads or Achilles pads can also be of temporary help.
Prevention is better than cure
- Do not walk barefoot, especially on hard grounds.
- Try to lose weight because being overweight puts more stress on the heels.
- Use good quality, comfortable footwear as it has materials that can effectively absorb a lot of the stress and eventually help protect the heels. Shoes that seem to augment the heel pain should be immediately avoided.
- If you are very prone to heel pain, spend more time resting and approach a heath care personnel, if required.
- Before engaging in an activity that involves lots of stress, indulge in proper warming up activities; remember to wear the right shoes.
- A cushioning insole or heel cup could be used to limit movements and thus protect from the heel bursitis. In severe cases, you could use a steroid injection. Even cortisone injections could be administered to curb the pain. As a measure of last resort, get the bumps removed surgically.
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How often should you check your sugar levels?
Read moreDiabetes is a growing problem, and every doctor suggests that diabetic patients should keep a regular check on their blood sugar levels if they want to keep their diabetes under control. For this purpose, diabetes tests are very important. With technology advancing so fast, keeping a check on sugar levels has become easier than before because of electronic devices that are available in the market.
When should you conduct a test to check the levels of your blood sugar?
Blood glucose should be frequently checked. But how often? Well, the answer to this depends on the type of diabetes that you are suffering from.- If the patient has type 1 diabetes, then the doctor usually advises the patient to test their blood sugar at least five to seven times a day. The doctor will direct the exact time of testing. Most doctors advise testing before and after meals, before and after exercise and other day-to-day activities to check the effect of these activities the blood sugar level. Self-diabetes tests come to the rescue when you have to test glucose levels many times daily.
- Patients who are administered insulin for treating their type 2 diabetes are usually advised by the doctors to undertake diabetes tests at least twice a day or even more depending upon several other factors. The time of testing is usually similar to type 1 diabetes, that is, before and after meals and sometimes even before going to bed. But sometimes patients can keep their type 2 diabetes under control without the use of insulin-based medications. For such patients, frequent checking of blood sugar is not always required.
- Apart from these two types, the frequency of testing blood sugar also depends on the severity of the condition and the age of the patient.
- For women who have gestational diabetes, diabetes tests follow a different pattern and usually vary from patient to patient although checking the blood sugar levels before and after meals is something that remains common to all form of diabetes.
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Choose the right digital hearing aid
Read moreIf you find yourself saying what! too many times a day, it may be time you get yourself a hearing aid. Hearing aids do not technically treat deafness but they amplify sounds and hence make them more audible. A digital hearing aid typically contains a computer chip with an amplifier that converts incoming sounds into a digital code. Based on your level of hearing loss and the ambient sounds around you, it amplifies the signals and reconverts it to sound waves. This is then played through speakers in your ears.
When it comes to buying a digital hearing aid, there is no universal solution and it must be customized to fit your ear size and lifestyle. There are six main types of hearing aids that you can choose between:
Completely-in-the-canal Hearing Aid: These types of hearing aids are molded to fit the inside of your ear and are virtually invisible. It is mainly used in cases of mild to moderate hearing loss.
PROs- Smallest and least visible hearing aid
- Does not amplify background noises such as wind
CONs- Highly susceptible to clogging by earwax
- No extra features e.g.: volume control
- Uses very small batteries with a short lifespan
In-the-canal Hearing Aid: This is a slightly larger hearing aid that is molded to fit inside the ear canal. It is used in cases of mild to moderate hearing loss.
PROs- Larger in size and hence easier to maneuve
- Easy to insert and remove
CONs- Susceptible to clogging by earwax
- Additional features may be difficult to control due to device size
In-the-ear Hearing Aid: These are prescribed in cases of moderate to severe hearing loss and are of two types: full shell and half shell. Full Shell hearing aids take up most of the bowl shaped part of the outer ear while half shell occupy only the lower half of this area.
PROs
- Easy to handle
- Easy access to volume controls and battery compartment
- Use a larger battery that has a longer battery life
CONs- Is usually quite visible
- Picks up more background noise
- Susceptible to speakers being clogged by earwax
Behind-the-ear Hearing Aid: This may be used to deal with almost any type of hearing loss. This type of digital hearing aid consists of two parts, one which rests behind the ear and the other that is custom fitted to sit in your ear canal. A small tube hooks over the ear to connect the two parts.
PROs- Capable of high levels of amplification
- Easy to handle and access
CONs- Visible to the naked eye
- Picks up a lot of background noise
Receiver-in-canal Hearing Aid: This is very similar to the above mentioned hearing aid except that a tiny wire is used to connect the two parts in place of the tube. This type of hearing aid is a little less conspicuous than the Behind-the-ear type.
The cost of a digital hearing aid can start from around $1500 and go on increasing depending on the number of features it has, accessories, remotes, professional fees, warranty, battery life, noise reduction etc. Ideally, ask for a trial period before you decide which hearing aid suits you the most.